What is fit-to-fly certificate?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A fit-to-fly certificate is a registered vet's signed and stamped statement that a pet has been examined and is healthy enough to fly. Every Indian airline that carries pets asks for one, with the rabies vaccination record. How recent it must be differs: within 7 days on Air India, 15 days on Akasa Air, 48 hours on SpiceJet.
Also called fit to fly certificate for dog, pet fitness certificate for flight, vet certificate for flying, fit-to-fly.
Key facts
- Air India asks for a health and rabies vaccination certificate from a registered vet saying the pet is fit to fly, issued within 7 days before departure, plus its indemnity form. Air India
- Akasa Air says a fit-to-fly certificate has stayed valid for 15 days since May 2024, up from 3 days. Akasa Air
- Akasa's conditions of carriage also ask for the certificate within 72 hours of travel, so confirm with the airline which applies. Akasa Air
- SpiceJet wants a vet's certificate no more than 48 hours old at departure, stating the dog's breed, age and rabies vaccination date. SpiceJet
- Air India Cargo asks for signed and stamped health and vaccination certificates at least 72 hours before travel. Air India Cargo
How recent must the certificate be on each Indian airline?
As each airline publishes it, checked 21 October 2026. Get the certificate last, inside your airline's window.
| Certificate age | Also needed | |
|---|---|---|
| Air India Air India | Issued within 7 days before departure | Rabies vaccination certificate; Air India's indemnity form |
| Air India Cargo Air India Cargo | Signed and stamped at least 72 hours before travel | Vaccination certificate |
| Akasa Air Akasa Air | Valid 15 days from issue (FAQ); within 72 hours of travel (conditions of carriage) | Rabies vaccination certificate; signed indemnity form |
| SpiceJet SpiceJet | No more than 48 hours old at departure | Rabies record; shipper's declaration and indemnity at the cargo warehouse |
| IndiGo, Air India Express IndiGo | Not applicable: service dogs only | Their own service dog rules |
What should the vet write on a fit-to-fly certificate?
Airlines check that the pet in front of them is the pet on the paper, and that it is healthy and vaccinated against rabies. SpiceJet's terms spell this out: the certificate must say the dog is fit to fly and give its breed, age and rabies vaccination date. It is sensible to ask your vet to include the pet's name, species, colour, weight and microchip number too, and to sign and stamp it with their registration number.
Air India adds a practical check: your name must match the owner's name on the health certificate and on the ticket. Carry the original and photocopies, and the vaccination card, to the counter.
What can a fit-to-fly certificate not do?
It shows your pet is healthy. It does not override an airline's breed, size or sedation rules.
You may have read
A fit snub-nosed dog with a vet's certificate can go in SpiceJet's hold.
Myth
What the sources say
SpiceJet refuses snub-nosed and short-muzzled breeds outright. Nothing in its terms lets a vet's certificate override the list. SpiceJet
You may have read
If the vet says it is fine, I can sedate my pet for the flight.
Myth
What the sources say
Air India and Akasa Air both refuse sedated pets, and IATA does not recommend tranquillising dogs and cats. Talk to your vet about how your pet copes with travel instead. IATA
You may have read
One certificate covers the trip there and back.
Myth
What the sources say
Most windows are days, not weeks. For a return flight after a week or more, you will usually need a new certificate. Air India
You may have read
The certificate is all I need to take my pet abroad.
Myth
What the sources say
Leaving India also needs AQCS's export health certificate, issued after AQCS examines the pet, and the destination's own papers. AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
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Questions owners ask
How long is a fit-to-fly certificate valid for pets in India?
- It depends on the airline. Air India wants it issued within 7 days before departure, SpiceJet no more than 48 hours old, and Akasa Air says 15 days from issue, though its conditions of carriage mention 72 hours. Check your airline's rule when you book.
Can any vet issue a fit-to-fly certificate?
- Indian airlines ask for a certificate from a registered veterinarian, signed and stamped. Ask your vet to include the pet's name, breed, age, microchip number and rabies vaccination date, and make sure your name matches the name on the ticket.
Does a fit-to-fly certificate let a Pug fly in the hold?
- No. Air India and Akasa Air do not carry flat-faced breeds in the hold, and SpiceJet refuses snub-nosed dogs outright. A vet's certificate does not override these breed rules. Some flat-faced pets can fly in the cabin within the weight limit.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in travel and paperwork
- Advance NOCThe Advance NOC (No Objection Certificate) is the clearance a passenger must hold before a pet dog or cat can board a flight to India. You apply on CBIC's ATITHI 2.0 portal at least 7 days before travel, and AQCS issues it within 1 working day of checking your documents. Airlines will not board the pet without it.
- AQCSAQCS, Animal Quarantine and Certification Services, is the Government of India service under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying that examines pets and issues the health certificate a pet needs to leave India, and clears pets arriving. It has six stations: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Its fees are paid online through Bharatkosh.
- Dog boxA dog box is the compartment in a train's brake van, where a dog travels as luggage when its owner does not hold a whole First AC or First Class coupe or cabin. It is booked at the station's luggage office at least 3 hours before departure and charged at the Scale L rate on a fixed 30 kg.
- Export health certificateThe export health certificate, formally the Certificate of Health for Export (Pet Animals), is the document AQCS issues after examining a pet in person, without which a pet cannot leave India. AQCS calls it "the NOC". It costs Rs 500, paid online through Bharatkosh, is normally issued the same day and is valid for 10 days.
- Health certificateA pet health certificate is a vet's signed and stamped statement that your pet has been examined and is healthy, usually free of infectious disease and fit to travel. In India, Indian Railways, airlines and AQCS ask for one. The catch is timing: each wants a certificate issued within its own window, from 24 hours to 10 days.
- IATA pet crateAn IATA pet crate is a travel kennel built to the International Air Transport Association's Live Animals Regulations, Container Requirement 1, for pets flying in the hold. It must let the pet stand, turn and lie naturally, and be rigid, ventilated on all four sides, bolted together, with a water bowl filled from outside and the right labels.
- Pet passportIndia does not issue a pet passport; the EU pet passport is issued only by authorised vets to owners living in the EU. When people in India say pet passport, they usually mean the travel papers: microchip and vaccination records, a vet's health certificate, the AQCS export certificate, and the destination's own certificate or permit.
- Scale LScale L is Indian Railways' luggage rate: its Scale P parcel rate plus 80%. A dog on a train is charged at Scale L on a fixed weight, whatever it weighs: 30 kg in the brake-van dog box, 60 kg if it rides with you in a First AC or First Class coupe or cabin. Distance does the rest.
- Transfer of residenceTransfer of residence is the customs category for a passenger moving to India after living abroad for two years or more. Under it, the passenger may bring up to two pet dogs or cats as baggage, with an Advance NOC from the ATITHI 2.0 portal. Anyone abroad for less than two years needs a different route, usually a DGFT licence.
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Air India: Travelling with pets (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Akasa Air enhances its pet travel service (press release, 8 May 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Conditions of Carriage (cl. 9 service dogs; cl. 18 pets) (opens in a new tab)
- SpiceJet: Terms and conditions of carriage: carriage of live animals (AVI) (opens in a new tab)
- Air India Cargo: Pets (personal cargo) and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- IndiGo: Special and disability assistance: service dogs (opens in a new tab)
Show all 10 sourcesShow fewer
- IATA: Live Animals Regulations, Container Requirement 1 (Edition 52, January 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Export of pets (dogs and cats) (opens in a new tab)
- Air India: Paws on Board Guidelines (PDF, read by OCR) (opens in a new tab)
- Akasa Air: Pets on Akasa: policy and FAQ (opens in a new tab)